


The Prettiest Hexes

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Animal Ears, Animal Transformation, Banter, Beaches, Biting, Body Switches, Campfires, Childbirth, Clothing Switch, Cosplay, Costumes, Dessert & Sweets, F/M, Family Bonding, First Dates, Friendship, Gaming, Halloween, Ice Cream, Introspection, Jail Bait Wait, Kittens, Masturbation, Missing Scene, Oral Sex, Parenthood, Sewing, Shopping, Sleepy Cuddles, Slice of Life, Sneaking Around, Teasing, War, Wedding Night, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-09
Updated: 2014-05-16
Packaged: 2017-12-26 02:07:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 10,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/960312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>30 stories of Henry and Sumia's friendship, romance, marriage and life overall. Part of the 30 Day OTP Challenge on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Euphoria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They'd already met her, but this time it was extra special.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://30dayschallengememes.tumblr.com/post/30929551934/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge), day 1: Holding hands. This was literally the first thing that popped into my head, timey wimey ball be damned.

It was the middle of the night, she was exhausted, and Henry still hadn't let go of her hand.

When the pains first started, he'd only left her side long enough to get Lissa and Cordelia, and upon his return he'd parked himself beside her and refused to leave. There was no sense trying to _make_ him leave either, Sumia felt more comfortable with him there and there was no way he was going to miss _this!_

He sat by her for hours, holding that hand. When a contraction made her cry out in pain he let her squeeze it as tightly as she needed, not caring about "ouchies" for once. While Cordelia helped her sip from a cup of water, he kissed her fingers and reminded her of how great it was going to be when they finally met their little girl; technically they'd _already_ met her but running into a teenager with white pigtails was yards different from _this_. And when the time came he squeezed her hand right back, cheering her on, smiling so broadly she couldn't help but smile either.

They held their new daughter together, because he still wouldn't let go of her hand. Sumia in his arms, Cynthia in hers, a sense of euphoria and love and peace washing way the pain and exhaustion. She was sweaty and sticky and dirty but he insisted she was "the cutest new mother in the world, even a basket of dead puppies couldn't compare to her right now!".

She had a fine layer of white hair and Sumia's nose. Her eyes were still blue and she was red-faced and still fussing a bit, but she was perfect. _Cynthia._ She looked towards Cordelia, who had proud tears in her eyes, _welcome to motherhood._ She'd just given birth to Severa not long ago, Sumia by her side and had looked forward to being able to return the favor.

"Thank you," she whispered to her dear friend, always there for her even when they didn't see eye to eye. To Lissa, who may have only just started acting as a midwife but had the skill and patience of one who'd been at it just as long. And to her husband; Henry was creepy, childlike, strange and loved killing and war too much for anyone's own good but he was hers, the father of their child and she wouldn't have traded him for anything.

"I think she needs to be fed." Lissa gestured towards the fussing baby and Sumia gladly let the younger woman guide her; it took a few tries but when Cynthia finally took to her breast her sense of pride and accomplishment grew.

Hours passed. Lissa and Cordelia had both gone to bed some time ago. Cynthia, full and sleepy, lay in the bassinet beside their bed. She still wore the sweaty, blood-stained robe and he the clothes he'd been wearing all day, but neither had the energy to get up and change or even wash up.

"We should change," he mumbled.

"And I could use a bath." But she couldn't have gotten up for anything short of a fire or a landslide. She snuggled closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder and yawning. "Tomorrow morning...mm..."

"Night." He kissed her forehead. "Love you more than blood...both of you."

So they slept in their dirty clothes, hand in hand, lulled to sleep by the quiet sounds of the night and the exhaustion finally setting in. The last piece of the puzzle was finally in place, and there was nowhere to go from here but forward.


	2. Musings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not because only she knows his heart, but because he lets everyone know his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://30dayschallengememes.tumblr.com/post/30929551934/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge), day 2: Cuddling. Sleepfluff is best fluff.

He's sleeping, a well-deserved rest after giving that last battle his all and then some. He always does. While the rest of them fight for a better future or the sake of their loved ones, Henry fights for the sake of fighting. People like that normally turn her off, but for some reason with Henry it barely bothers her.

It's because she got to know his softer side first, she reasons. The first time they ever spoke, she was fretting over the bowls she'd dropped and he offered to fix them with his magic. No war-mongering creep would take time out of his day just to help a clumsy girl who couldn't walk two steps without tripping over her own feet.

He loves animals, too. Those crows who follow him everywhere, the horses and pegasi and wyverns, the stray kitty who follows them to the barracks from time to time. He says a lot of creepy things about dead puppies and she knows he's the one who killed the bird who was keeping Lissa awake, and she won't pretend it wasn't terrible. But then she sees him with the crows and the kitty and the horses and can't believe he would hurt an animal.

(Though if he decided to hurt a cow she wouldn't mind terribly.)

And he's so kind to everyone else in the army. Letting Lissa use him as a pillow, trying to make a dragon appear out of thin air for Nowi to play with, helping Ricken with his magic, training with Frederick. A Plegian war-lover? Maybe, but he's the only one she's ever met who just wants to help everyone, misguided as some of his attempts are. She's not sure what's caused him to be so unhinged, but it clearly didn't affect his good heart.

Sumia smiles down at the man in her arms and in his sleep he cuddles closer to her, his head on her shoulder and his arm draped loosely across her waist. His slender body fits just right against hers, he's so warm and comforting and she can't help but lean forward to kiss his forehead. Suddenly he stirs against her, waking up a little.

"Hm...?"

"Oh!" She blushes. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. You just looked so cute..." She smooths a few strands of hair away from his face. "Did you sleep well?"

"Sure did," he chuckles, leaning up to kiss her chin. "You're the best pillow I've ever had! But aren't _you_ tired now? You want me to be your pillow while you sleep?"

"I would...or we could be each other's pillow." She shifts slightly until they're on a more even level, her arms loosely wrapped around him and his around her. _Perfect._ His lips gently brush against hers before his eyes close again; by now she's pleasantly drowsy and the sun's low in the sky and she can't imagine being any more comfortable than she is now.

This is why she loves him. Not because only she can see past the creepy exterior to his good heart, but because he _lets_ everyone see the good heart under his creepy exterior.


	3. Checkmate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For someone who claimed she wasn't any good at the game, she sure had him beat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://30dayschallengememes.tumblr.com/post/30929551934/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge). This takes place somewhere between their A and S support.

She sure was good for someone who claimed she wasn't. Okay, so checkers wasn't a game either of them were too fond of and they were only playing to pass the time before Chrom called them to the next war meeting, but she was still damn good at it. She picked black, he picked red and so far she'd captured half his men.

He didn't even mind losing. She could cheat for all he cared, he wasn't in it for the game. No, he was in it for spending time with the cute girl he'd become such good friends with. Any excuse to spend time with her was a good one; fighting beside her in battle, helping her carry the water buckets...even using a hex to swap their bodies! Okay, so she'd freaked out and he'd switched them back, but she _had_ agreed to let him do it again so he could ride her pegasus. _That_ was going to be fun!

"Henry?" Her voice cut through his thoughts. "It's your move."

"Oh! Hehe, sorry about that, didn't mean to fall into dreamland there!" He picked up one of his men, studied the board and moved the piece accordingly, managing to jump two of hers. "Nyahaha! Looks like I evened the score, Sumia!"

"Good! I mean...um, let's see how even we are after this!" She seemed more confident now. Good. Someone as cute and sweet as her shouldn't spend all that time feeling bad about herself! In her turn she captured four of his men and grinned. "Try and counter _that!_ "

"Okay, lessee here..." He didn't have much space left to make a move that _wouldn't_ end with him trapped. While he'd known long ago he was gonna lose, he wanted to go out with a bang.

Two turns later, his king was trapped and he'd lost the game.

"Checkmate." She grinned, and he couldn't help laughing even though most people would be at least a little disappointed they'd lost.

"Why, Sumia, you told me you weren't very good at checkers!"

"Guess I was wrong!" She smiled at him, and his heart went thumpity-thump in his chest. _Woah! That's never happened before. I mean, not around her, anyway._ Actually, that was a lie, it was happening a lot around her lately. And he had a strange feeling he knew exactly what it was.

And then Frederick came to tell them it was time for the meeting and he forgot all about the thumpity-thumps for a while.


	4. Sweethearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Most people start going on dates before the proposal. Henry and Sumia aren't like most people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://30dayschallengememes.tumblr.com/post/30929551934/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge). Takes place shortly after their S support.

"Wow, Cherche wasn't kidding! This place is _packed!_ " Valm didn't have as many sweet shops as Gaius claimed Ylisse did, so the one Cherche had recommended to them was said to be pretty popular and almost always crowded. "Oh, dear, I hope we can get a place to sit down." Henry smiled and gave her hand a little squeeze.

"No worries, Sumia! If I've gotta hex some people outta there seats, I will!"

"Er...I hope it doesn't come down to that," she mumbled. It was a little outdoor place with tables and chairs under a frilly awning, people chatting and clamoring about the selections and how it was such a lovely break from the war. Suddenly Sumia felt funny about being here; would they even serve people fighting for the Ylissean side? They were the enemy as far as most of Valm was concerned, after all.

Luckily, a man with a kind face showed up to seat them just then. Aside from a few gasps and mutters of _Ylissean_ here and there, no one seemed to pay them much attention.

"Phew! And it's in a good location, too, great view of the harbor," Sumia said as the waiter finished seating them and left to wait on another couple. Henry smiled, reaching across the table to take her hand.

"If it makes my Sumia happy, then I'm happy."

"Henry..." She sighed, looking directly at his perpetually-closed eyes; she still wished he'd open them more than once in a while, but she'd given up pressing the issue. It was a small detail, and if he was more comfortable with them closed then why fuss about it? " _You_ make me happy. You could've used your magic for terrible things, but instead it brought us together!"

"Well, I _did_ make you look like a pathetic spinster, but who cares? That shopkeeper was stupid anyway!" He laughed and squeezed her hand. "My Sumia is the cutest thing ever, cuter than a dead puppy!" _Ooh._ That was something she hoped he'd cut down on in the near future. Or if nothing else, something she'd get used to.

"Um...thank you. Even if that's a pretty terrible comparison," she said. He shrugged.

"Hey, you knew I was a morbid guy when I proposed!"

"May I take your orders now?" the waiter asked. Sumia already knew what she wanted, but Henry didn't look so sure. _We didn't have much of the sweet stuff in Plegia! Just turnips, and turnip cake isn't so tasty!_ She had to stop herself from pitying him, she knew he'd hate that.

"Hmm...wow, so many of these sound bloody tasty! What do you think, Sumia? What's good for a morbid kinda guy like me?" The waiter blanched, but kept smiling. Possibly out of fear.

"A gentleman such as yourself may enjoy the crusted blackberry tart spiced with anise," he said. "If not, then we have a fine selection of similar confections."

"Actually, that sounds great!" Henry chirped. "Gaius shared some of his black jellybeans with me on the beach, said that's what they're flavored with. They were _really_ good." _Just like Gaius,_ Sumia thought. His sweet stash was sacred, but he wasn't above sharing with people he considered friends. He and Henry must have bonded quite a bit during that trip.

"Excellent choice, sir." He glanced towards Sumia. "And for the lady?"

"The strawberry sweet crepes, please!"

"Very good, my lady." The man left, and Henry sighed with relief.

"Glad he didn't pass out when I mentioned blood! You know, this really is a nice little place." He moved his chair a little closer to hers, and she did the same. Sitting across the table looking...er, _at_ his eyes was nice, but being close to him was even nicer.

"They _are_ in the middle of a war. They must get bloody people looking for relief in here all the time," she sighed. "It's so sad, isn't it? It's not as bad as-" She cut herself off. "Sorry, we're supposed to be on a date! I shouldn't bring up such depressing things."

"No, tell me more about all the bloody people!" Henry whined playfully. "How bloody were they? Think anyone was missing a limb? Or walking around with an axe in their head? Boy, I'd _pay_ to see that!"

"Ewww!" She couldn't help giggling in spite of the gruesomeness. He had a way of making blood and gore seem almost funny...almost. "Let's not, for the sake of these other people. I'd feel bad if I ruined their evening."

"Aww, that's no fun. But if it's what my Sumia wants I won't object!" He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Don't want you feeling bad on our first date."

"Thank you." She nuzzled her head against his briefly. "We'll have plenty of time to talk about blood and guts later. Promise."

"Hey, no need to humor me," he chided. "I like who I am, but I don't want to make you feel icky! Don't be afraid to tell me if you are." He smiled, taking her hand again and squeezing gently. She smiled, her cheeks growing warm as she moved her chair closer still.

"And I want _you_ to be happy," she said. "You're the most wonderful person who's ever borrowed my body before! Okay, the _only_ person who's ever borrowed my body...unless Tharja's been conducting experiments on me while I slept."

"Eh, you're barely a blip on her radar," Henry laughed. "She'd rather switch bodies with Gaius so she could be with Robin all the time."

Their dishes arrived soon, and they dug in. Every now and then, Henry would poke his fork her way and feed her a bite of his, and she would do the same. Anise wasn't a favorite of hers and blackberries didn't rank too high either, but somehow they tasted good together. Especially when he was feeding them to her.

She wondered if he felt the same way about strawberries.


	5. Taste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time his lips ever touched hers, they were warm and sweet and incredible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://30dayschallengememes.tumblr.com/post/30929551934/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge). Probably not the traditional means of filling this prompt but these two ended up being a surprisingly smutty OTP for me.

The first time his lips ever touched hers, they were warm and sweet and incredible. She was the first girl he'd ever kissed and he knew he was a little clumsy at it, but he didn't care and neither did she. That night, he idly wondered if she tasted that sweet all over.

Weeks later, he no longer had to wonder. This time the press of her lips to his was just a prelude and before he knew it they'd tumbled to the bedroll. He cast a silencing hex to block any sounds from leaving the tent, he had a feeling it would come in handy.

He kissed her neck, biting, leaving little red marks in random spots. Her shoulders, toned and smooth without the slightest hint of scarring. Her breasts, soft and full, the nipples already hard. He covered her skin with bites, sucking, licking the marks he'd left. And that hex sure came in handy, his Sumia sure made a lot of noise! _Good,_ he thought, _keep squealing and crying, by the time I'm done I'll have you screaming like an enemy I just killed!_

When he began to run his lips and tongue down her belly, she parted her legs for him. She was already wet and her scent filled his nostrils. But first, he had to kiss and mark her thighs as he had the rest of her. The skin was softer here, the blood-red marks showing up brightly against her pale skin.

"Now let's find out how sweet you really are," he whispered against her thigh, and moved up to press his lips to her slit. Oh, how she shrieked! He kissed and kissed her there until she was writhing and moaning his name, licked and suckled until she was squealing like a strangled bird and finally took her swollen clit between his lips and rubbed his tongue against it until he felt her hips buck and she _screamed_.

He kept her going, kissing her until her body went slack; he kissed his way up her belly and laid his head against her chest.

"Mm..." She purred, stroking his hair, wrapping her arms around him. "Are you sure you've never done this before?" He smirked.

"Remember, lovely Sumia, I've been in your body. I had a feeling of what you might like."

"I _thought_ so." She laughed. "Now I can't help but wonder how _you_ taste."

He grinned, leaning up to plant a kiss on the end of her nose.

"I'll let you find out tomorrow."


	6. Comfortable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He did look pretty cute in her bathrobe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://30dayschallengememes.tumblr.com/post/30929551934/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge). Takes place somewhere between their C and B supports. And it's more like "one's wearing the other's clothes". And yes, this involves the guy wearing the girl's clothing rather than the other way around. Sucker as I am for the sexy shirt switch, the reverse isn't done often enough.

"Sorry I made us both fall in the lake," Sumia sighed as she wrung out their clothes, then laid them on a nearby rock to dry off. In her defense, most of the Shepherds had had trouble getting through the rocky path without stumbling or slipping; Maribelle eventually insisted on carrying Lissa despite having troubles of her own, while Ricken ended up riding on Gregor's shoulders.

But of course, Sumia had to be the one to not only fall in but drag Henry with her when he grabbed onto her to pull her back. As a result, they were both soaked to the bone by the time they made camp on the thankfully much stabler grounds. Neither of them had caught cold and nothing had been ruined, but Henry carried only one spare set of clothes, which were currently having the blood scrubbed out of them after a battle-heavy week.

So the only logical solution she could think of was to loan him her pink bathrobe while he waited for his clothes to dry.

Most men would leap back into the river in embarrassment at such an idea, but he didn't seem to mind. If nothing else at least it fit his thin frame better than it would have fit someone like Stahl or Chrom. Plus, it was dry and it would keep him warm, something he often had a problem with due to his blood pressure.

"Are you feeling all right?" she asked, sitting down on the bedroll beside him. He just smiled, moving a little closer.

"I've taken worse beatings from Risen! This wasn't nearly as bloody or horrible, so I'll live," he said cheerfully. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'll be okay. Once you're used to tripping over nothing like I am a little fall in the lake's no big deal." She shivered. "I just wish it wasn't getting dark already. The sun could've dried us off quicker!"

"Aww, you're cold." He wrapped a pink-covered arm around her and pulled her close. "I hear body heat's good for that!"

"It is, yes." Her cheeks flushed for half a second before she cleared her throat. "I'll have to speak with Frederick about finding a better place to camp next time. He was in such a hurry to settle somewhere before it got dark."

"Nyahaha, that's Frederick for you! Don't worry, I'm sure he didn't mean any harm...unless he's secretly evil and wanted everyone to fall on the rocks and smash into horrible bloody bits!" Sumia shuddered, feeling some of the color drain from her face. She knew Frederick would never do that, of course, but did he need to be so _gory_ all the time?

"At least no one did." She quickly changed the subject. "They'll be lighting a campfire soon, though! Maybe we could go sit by it and you can warm up some more...if you're not too embarrassed to be seen wearing my ugliest robe, that is."

"Ugly? This?" He tugged at the sash a little. "Well, it's not bloody red or creepy black, but it's not too bad. It's...blood mixed with snow! Yeah!"

"Um, right." Gross as it was, she couldn't help but admire his... _unique_ view of the color pink. To be fair, it wasn't _that_ ugly, but it was something she'd only previously worn while she was sick or feeling bad about herself. To see her forever-smiling, creepy friend wearing it was something else entirely. "Well, if you're sure..."

"If they laugh, let 'em! I never cared what anyone else thought of me before, why start now?" And he took her hand, dragging her outside to where Frederick had just started the campfire. So far only Chrom and his family, newly-accquired daughter included sat near it, waving to Sumia and Henry as they came over.

He really did look kind of cute in that robe, she realized as they sat down, Henry gleefully rubbing his hands dangerously close to the flames. She sat closer, one of his hands slipped into hers and she realized that, all creepy behavior aside, she'd made a very good friend over the past few days.


	7. Masquerade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One spooky October night, the Shepherds dress as heroes of times past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://30dayschallengememes.tumblr.com/post/30929551934/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge). Taking some creative liberties regarding the legacy characters, just because they weren't in the game doesn't mean they never existed. XP Also, the music Brady's playing is indeed tunes from past Fire Emblem games.

It was Nowi's idea, really. After they met the spirits of Lord Eliwood, Sir Sigurd, Ike, Princess Eirika, Princess Caeda, Queen Elincia and various other champions of yore it was hard not to obsess over them for days...and days, and days. Their weapons, their outfits, how the cards came to life in the first place, whether or not they were capable of actual thought beyond _crush kill destroy._

So of course the solution was to dress up like them one spooky night in October. Severa and Laurent bought plenty of second-hand clothing and armor while Gaius, Cherche and Gerome handled all the sewing after studying the Einherjar for accuracy, and Miriel pored through various tomes because she was sure the cards didn't represent _every_ strong and brave hero from the days of old. Sure enough, there were at least fifty more names: Queen Ferry, the wife of Lewyn; Ninian, the enigmatic half-dragon dancer with a strong connection to Lord Eliwood; King Pelleas, the false son of King Ashnard put on the throne by a scheming madman. Lord Pent and Lady Louise of Reglay. Julian, the heroic thief. General Duessel, teacher to King Ephraim.

Henry, of course, couldn't decide which of the crazy villains or tragic heroes he wanted to dress as. "So many bloody histories, so many wonderful possiblities!" he'd crowed. Sumia had taken a liking to Ferry, who reminded her of Cordelia and was the kind of woman Sumia often wished she could be. With Robin's help she was learning to like herself instead of escaping into books all the time, but just for one night she figured it couldn't hurt to pretend.

And of course, once she told Henry he suddenly had little trouble deciding who _he_ wanted to be. "A man killed horribly and brought back to life by having a spirit possess him? Sign me up!"

"I can see that," Sumia giggled, "but are you sure part of it isn't just because of who I'm dressing as?"

"Never said it wasn't." He twirled her around in his arms and kissed her. "And hey, let's make the costumes all bloody and torn so it looks like we just got done fighting the Empire and Manfroy's goons! Blood-stained Pegasus Knight armor's not the same as a blood-stained wedding dress, but they're still white!"

"Um...we'll see." Sumia didn't quite fancy the thought of spattering Ferry's beautiful white armor with blood, but it _was_ supposed to be spooky. And the heroes of Jugdral _had_ fought many a bloody battle in their days.

-x-

When the big night came, everyone was dressed to the teeth, some the spitting image of their chosen heroes and others an interesting sendup of them. Lucina donned a lady's armor this time, dressed as Princess Caeda while Inigo borrowed her spare "Marth" outfit, adjusted to fit him courtesy of Gerome. Chrom and Sully had chosen the lesser-known General Sheema and her hero Samson, while Kjelle was a more heavily-armored Johan to Severa's Larcei. Olivia and Lon'qu were almost perfect as Feena and Navarre, Libra only needed a pair of wings to pass for Heron Prince Reyson, Panne looked like a fiercer Wolf Queen Nailah and Yarne looked surprisingly comfortable in a Hector costume to Morgan's Eliwood and Nah's Ninian.

Sumia smiled as she looked around the barracks, which Cynthia and Henry had decorated to look extra spooky. There were two tables full of snacks, mostly candy at Gaius's suggestion. And after much debate, she and Henry _had_ added the blood to their costumes, much to the shock of some and amazement of others. Even more amazing was that Henry's hair-lengthening hex had worked.

"Everyone looks _so_ cool!" Cynthia squealed, bouncing up and down beside them. She'd bought some green elixir for her hair, had Severa pin it close to her head and dressed up as Fee. Who else would she be except Lewyn and Ferry's child? "Kjelle's hair really took to the brown elixir, and Severa looks _just_ like Larcei with longer hair, and _oh!_ There's Owain, I gotta go talk to him!" She took off in a flash, and Sumia laughed.

"Looks like Nowi's plan was a total success!"

"Hahaha! She should be so proud of herself," Henry agreed. "Of course, it'd be better if more people came all bloody like us. But hey, they're dressed as dead people anyway so it's still creepy! And Cynthia joined us by pretending it's the blood of Fee's enemies! We're one bloody happy family, nyahaha!"

"I'm just glad we managed to get all these different colors of hair elixir from the Outrealms," Sumia said. "Then again, it's hard to say no to Lucina."

"And so _many_ colors! Blood red, corpse black, decaying green, rust brown, bruised purple, deathly pale grey..."

"Sweetheart pink, sunset orange, sunlight gold, sky blue," Sumia finished, and they both laughed.

"Always trying to keep my morbid thoughts at bay." Henry leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Say, why don't we go listen to some of Tharja's stories? She found a way to make the Einherjar even creepier!" Sumia hadn't thought such a thing was possible; those poor warriors were spirits trapped in card form, incapable of thoughts outside the ones running over and over in their heads day in and day out. Once you had them on your side, they never spoke a word again. But that was more sad than creepy, when one really thought about it.

"Maybe a bit later? I'd like to dance first," she said. Brady, dressed as an older and more rugged Prince Mildain, was playing the most haunting melodies on his violin. Some of these tunes seemed familiar, though she couldn't quite place them. Henry smiled, offered his hand and they joined Inigo and Lucina at the center of the room.

They danced, they listened to Tharja's creepy tales, they joined Gaius at the snack table, they watched Cynthia and Owain pretend to be the heroes they were dressed as. At one point, Henry left to talk to Ricken, leaving Sumia to chat with Cordelia.

"I still can't believe you let him talk you into that," the other woman teased. "What's next, letting him build an army of Risen like he talked about?"

" _Cordelia!_ " Sumia giggled. "I'd never let him do _that_ and he knows it. He was only kidding...at least, I hope he was."

"Good. Kellam says he's the only ghost the army needs!" Cordelia laughed. Actually, Kellam was quite visible for once. Wallace of Caelin was hard to miss. "Do you think the Einherjar would have liked to be here? Maybe seeing themselves, as well as others from their pasts, would have given them reason to have feelings."

"I don't know," Sumia sighed. "I'd like to think that, at least. I feel so bad for them sometimes, but then I remember they're only cards. Spirits. The actual people are long gone, these versions of them were only summoned to fight silly wars in the Outrealms."

"Some existence," Cordelia said, shaking her head. "I hope when our time passes, no one ever attaches us to cards and brings us back to life!"

"Me too! I'd rather be buried peacefully after a life well-lived than fight endless stupid wars in a strange place!" Sumia shuddered. "Even being a skeleton in the ground is better than _that!_ "

"Nya ha! Did I just hear my adorable wife talking about being a skeleton?" Henry bounded over to sit at her other side, glass of wine in hand. "You're learning!" Sumia smiled and rolled her eyes a little.

"I knew that would send you running over."

"You know me too well." He wrapped an arm around her waist. "Heyo, Cordelia! Your husband's sure the center of attention tonight!"

"Tell me something I don't know." Cordelia grinned. "Should I leave you two alone?"

"Aw, don't be silly! Any friend of Sumia's is a friend of mine, remember?" He went to get two more glasses of wine, motioned for Ricken to follow him, and they settled down. "So, what's all this about you being a skeleton, Sumia dear?"

"Skeletons? I heard them talking about the Einherjar," Ricken said.

"Well..." Sumia began, and soon they were lost in a world of death-related puns and terrible jokes.


	8. Boxes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'd just take forever by dropping everything and having to pick it up. Besides, this shop gives me the creeps and I'm not sure why."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://30dayschallengememes.tumblr.com/post/30929551934/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge). Takes place just after their C support and shortly before chapter 14 begins.

If it were up to Chrom and Robin, they'd leave Carrion Isle as soon as the business with Lucina had been settled. But they were running out of supplies, and while swords and lances and bows could last a decent amount of time tomes were another story.

"Thanks for coming along with me, Henry," she said. "I'd just take forever by dropping everything and having to pick it up. Besides, this shop gives me the creeps and I'm not sure why."

"Oh, I'm sure it's haunted. Ghosties and zombies every which way, bloody corpses, skeletons, the works!" He laughed cheerfully, as if such horrible things were nothing to him. "Don't worry, though, I won't let them eat you alive."

"Um, thanks." Sumia shuddered. It was strange how someone so helpful could be so creepy; he'd fixed the broken bowls and even taken the liberty of buying the replacements for her (probably so she wouldn't drop them again, but it was the thought that counted), but all he ever talked about was blood this and corpses that.

Still, it was hard not to enjoy his company. Especially when he could be so cheerful about his morbidity.

They picked out several of each tome and were about to leave when something caught Henry's eye. He grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the shelf, pointing repeatedly.

"Look! Sumia, look, they've got them! They're so hard to find but they have them!" He laughed. "If I'd known they did, I would've set foot in here ages ago!" Sumia's jaw dropped; she remembered seeing those things at the shop near the Longfort in Regna Ferox, and that had been unsettling enough.

"Reeking boxes," she said, remembering what the shopkeeper had called them. "You're not suggesting we _buy_ any of those, are you?"

"Why? You _scared?_ " he teased, poking her in the ribs playfully.

"N-no! I mean, yes." That was something she was all too used to saying. "But more than that, they're five-hundred gold each. We do have a budget to think about, and Robin would be mad if we overspent."

"Aww, c'mon, Sumia! The tomes we just picked up cost twice as much!"

"But those boxes can only be used once! Tomes last longer," she pointed out. "And...do we really want to be summoning Risen every time we need to sharpen our weapons? What's wrong with sparring?"

"This is more _fun!_ " he squealed. "Killing Risen, seeing 'em bleed black dust, watching 'em crumple to the ground...and sometimes they even drop treasures!" He smiled. "Besides, we're not spending _all_ our money on these. Just a few, please? I'd never get you in trouble with Robin."

"Ohhh..." She wanted to say yes, being the stern shopping partner wasn't really her thing. But she hated the thought of coming back with all those boxes and knowing she'd blown so much of the budget, angering Chrom, Robin and Frederick...or worse, getting Henry in hot water. She knew the boxes had their use, but were they as valuable as weapons, concoctions, tomes and staves?

"C'mon." He squeezed her hand. "I promise, we'll buy five of them and that's it. And if we put a dent in the budget I'll take full blame and let Chrom gut me like a fish!" She squirmed; gutting fish was a gross task in and of itself and the thought of her friend being hurt...not that Chrom actually _would_ do it.

"I don't want you to be in trouble, though."

"Pshaw! I've never cared what other people think of me, I'm used to being called creepy and gross and evil. What more's a little scolding?"

"Well..." She sighed. "If you're sure. But _only_ five!"

"Deal! And next time we go shopping I'll pick up something nice just for you!" Sumia sighed, but kept her mouth shut this time. She didn't like arguing with friends, and one was more than enough for today.

Surprisingly, Robin didn't say anything when she saw the boxes. Frederick only frowned for a second, and Chrom just shrugged and said something about another trip to the Outrealms. The next day, she found far more than the five boxes they'd purchased in the supply convo; Henry flashed her a conspiratorial grin and she said nothing about where they'd come from.


	9. Pinecones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which two pairs of parents discuss their kids, discipline, and kitties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://30dayschallengememes.tumblr.com/post/30929551934/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge). This takes place in the Good Future so the girls are about 7-8. There's also a few references to my previous Cordelia/Kellam fic "Limits" on ff.net.

Sumia and Cordelia were best friends. Henry and Kellam were...familiar with each other. And as hard as it was to tell sometimes, Cynthia and Severa were best friends too. Right now, four parents sat around the campfire while their daughters had a pinecone-gathering contest.

"At least this one won't end with as many tears as the firefly-catching contest did," Cordelia sighed. Not because either girl had lost, but because the fireflies had died only moments after being placed in the jars.

"They never died when we used to catch them," Sumia said. "Then again, we used to punch holes in the lids of the jars. I feel so terrible that we didn't tell the girls about that sooner...it was-"

"Hey, hey! None of this _my fault_ stuff, remember?" Henry tweaked her nose playfully. "None of us did! We just assumed the girls would know that right off the bat! Besides, those jars of bug corpses sure looked neat for a few days, didn't they?"

"I think we need to work on remembering that they're not teenagers like the ones who came to us from the future," Kellam pointed out. Sumia and Henry blinked before remembering that yes, he'd come with them. Cordelia and Severa were the only ones who no longer forgot Kellam existed, but the others were slowly getting better. "They're smart kids, but these versions still don't know a lot about the world."

"You're right," Sumia laughed. "I'm still used to the older Cynthia! I keep expecting her to come swooping in on her...well, our pegasus and babbling about her date with Owain."

"And I keep expecting Severa to demand I take her shopping for dresses and makeup," Kellam chuckled. "This one isn't as spoiled as the one we met, but..."

"But she still likes to try to wrap us around her little finger," Cordelia finished.

"Nyahaha! She's still not doing her chores?" Henry grinned. "I can cast a hex-"

"That won't be necessary!" Cordelia cut him off nervously. "She _does_ do them, she just pouts while she works. Or tries to do them as fast as she can so she can go out and play sooner."

"Sounds like Cynthia!" Henry laughed. "She doesn't mind working, but she'd rather be outside playing if she can help it. Oh, well! She's our little princess, I'd never deny her a thing." Cordelia gave him a sideways glance.

"You better not be spoiling her too much. Severa will never forgive me or Kellam if she finds out her best friend is allowed to get away with more than she does."

"No, of course not!" Sumia said quickly. "She knows we have rules, and I lay them down...Henry's the one who spoils her." She poked her husband playfully. "He'll just let her leave her room a mess so she can play with my pegasus, or do the dishes for her if she finishes too quickly and leaves them wet."

"Aww, but how can anyone not spoil her? Look how bloody cute she is!" Henry protested playfully. He'd surprised everyone with what an amazing father he was for all his morbid jokes and love of battles, but sometimes he seemed too good to be true.

"Look, our Severa's as cute as a button, but kids need rules," Cordelia said. "Though in our house, I'm usually the one to lay them down too. Kellam's afraid if he doesn't spoil her she'll ignore him." Kellam coughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well...she _is_ cute as a button! And she's so sweet, she always asks nicely and makes the cutest little face when she wants something."

"The point is," Cordelia said, "if you fathers keep spoiling the kids, us mothers are going to look like the bad guys!" She pouted. "I already had one Severa mad at me...don't make this one hate my guts, too." Henry and Sumia both chuckled.

"Well, we see where Severa gets it from! Nyahaha!" Henry laughed. "But aww, Sumia, you don't feel like that, do you? Cynthia worships you!"

"I know, I know..." Sumia giggled. "I just feel like after the kids who came from that future had it so bad, the ones now deserve everything they want and then some."

"Me too!" Kellam said.

"And I completely understand." Cordelia sighed. "Believe me, sometimes I have a hard time saying no to Severa, too. And it's not just us, either. Olivia's a total pushover when it comes to Inigo, and neither Donnel or Nowi can resist Nah. And Lucina and Kjelle? Forget about it, they've got Chrom and Sully wrapped around their fingers."

"But let's look at it this way! They're not asking for gold or the moon or blood! Hehehe...blood." Henry smiled, casting his glance out at Cynthia as she waddled after Severa with her skirt full of pine cones. "They just want to catch fireflies and make forts out of tree branches and bring home a stray pup or two now and then! Nothing wrong with that!" Cordelia smiled wryly.

"How many puppies and kittens do you guys have, again?"

"Only six, plus the kittens' mother!" Sumia laughed. "But Cynthia said she doesn't need to keep them all. Lucina and Kjelle are taking home the little brown puppy as soon as his leg's better, and Lissa and Maribelle's boys have their eye on the striped gray kitten."

"So that'll just leave us with four!" Henry grinned. "And of course there's the birdies who hang around and talk to us."

"You know, Severa's been wanting a kitten for some time now," Kellam said. "If Cynthia doesn't mind parting with the little black one..."

"Daddy!" Severa suddenly came running over, sack of pinecones thumping against the ground as she ran. "Cynthia said if you said yes I can have the little black kitty! Oh, can I, Mother and Daddy, please, can I?"

"Coincidence, or were you listening in?" Cordelia teased. "I actually don't see why not. Just...don't let it drop any mice on my pillow."

"Aww, but it's so cute when they do that!" Henry said. Severa shuddered and gave him a sickened look.

"Ew! No kitty of mine is gonna torture Mother with icky dead mice." She smiled again. "Daddy?"

"Of course!" Kellam patted her head, smiling. "As soon as the kittens are old enough to leave their mother, Cynthia can bring her on over."

"Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Severa squealed. "Cynthia! They said yes!"

"Yay!" Cynthia dropped her skirt, sending the pine cones tumbling into a pile at her feet. "Oh, horse plop!" Severa snickered.

"We might as well count our loot," she said. "I probably won."

"No way! Did you see how much I could carry in my skirt?" The girls set to work emptying Severa's bag and rushing to count their collection, and the adults all laughed.

"So what are they going to do with all those pinecones?" Sumia wondered. Henry shrugged.

"Who knows! They've got a few uses, not as much as firefly corpses but still."

The fireflies did come out later that night, but this time the girls let them go as soon as they caught them. Much to the disappointment of Henry, who had looked forward to another jar of corpses in the house.


	10. Adorable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn't his fault, really. He had this one down to perfection, and then a cat sneezed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://30dayschallengememes.tumblr.com/post/30929551934/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge). Takes place between their B and A supports, but before the body switching.

He'd come a long way from magic school. Gone were the days of setting himself on fire or turning his classmates inside out or causing dead spiders to drop from the sky onto people's heads. These days he took his hexes very seriously, crafting them to help those in need and harm stupid people.

This one was almost perfect. He'd spent hours working on it, a hex to remove dirt from a person's hair so they didn't have to dunk their head in the stream on cold days. Then a nearby cat sneezed, he lost concentration and the next thing he knew Sumia was screaming.

Whoops!

"Where did these come from?!" Cat in arms, Henry went to the nearby stream and found Sumia staring open-mouthed at her reflection...which now included a pair of furry orange ears sticking up from her hair. Oops. Had he accidentally cast an ear-switch hex? Nope, kitty still had _his_ ears in place. So what happened?

Still, they were kinda cute. He couldn't help laughing.

"I dunno! Maybe you're really part cat all along, Sumia!" She turned to him with a pained look.

"Henry, this isn't _funny!_ What's everyone going to say if they see me like this?!" She wrung her hands, shaking her head, almost like she was trying to get the ears off her. "Cordelia, Chrom, Robin...and my pegasus, what if she sees me with them and gets scared? She'll know it's me, of course, but-"

"Would you relax?" He slung an arm across her shoulders. "No one's ever gonna know! If I can put them on you with magic, I can take them off the same way."

"But what if you miss and turn my head into a cabbage or something?"

"That'd be awesome! But it won't happen, cause this was just an accident. I can fix this!" But did he want to right away? She did look cute with them...Sumia the kitty. She was already as cute as a kitty, now she had the ears. He couldn't help reaching up to pet one, and she jumped slightly.

"H-hey..."

"Can I? Please? They're just too adorable." The cat in his arms meowed. "And so does he!"

"Aww..." Her gaze drifted towards the cat and she seemed to relax a little. "Well...if you let me hold him, and you only pet me for a minute! Chrom's going to need us soon!" He smiled, gently depositing the purring kitty into her arms.

"There we go!"

She relaxed even more while he was petting her ears, and for a moment he wondered if maybe she _was_ part kitty. But then Chrom called, the cat got up and dashed off somewhere and Henry sighed as he realized he _had_ to undo the spell. A quick chant, and her head was its pretty but boring self once more.

"Nya ha, see? Told you I could do it, you're regular old cute Sumia again!" He smiled. "Let me know if you ever want them back, okay?"

"Um...okay. _If_ I ever want them back." But she was smiling as they headed off to meet Chrom. Maybe next time he could give them both cute animal ears!


	11. Effort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She wasn't going to throw away a month's hard work, so she had no choice but to show them to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://wasserplane.tumblr.com/post/26776101761/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge). Sort of a follow-up to the previous chapter.

"Ow!" Sumia winced, sucking the finger she'd pricked for the thousandth time. At least this was the last stitch, finally. A month, two days, six hours and fifteen minutes had gone into this project, and she wasn't even sure if she liked the result. The fabric was rumpled in places, some of the stitches were crooked...she'd gone over the basics with Gaius at the beginning, but she didn't want to be a pain by constantly running to him for help. And if he ended up doing the whole thing for her it wouldn't mean anything.

She'd had this project in mind ever since Henry had accidentally hexed cat ears onto her and said they were cute. If she couldn't have actual cat ears on her head all the time, maybe she could have fake ones. And then she'd decided it was only fair to make a set for Henry. So she'd gone to Gaius, asked him to teach her to sew and the rest was history.

Now she held two slightly misshapen cotton hats, adorned with kitty ears, at arm's length. Henry wasn't picky about how his clothes looked; he wore the same basic outfit every day and didn't change until it was time for bed, even if he was covered in dust and dirt and blood. Which he usually was. But Sumia still couldn't help being reluctant; the hats weren't just imperfect, in her eyes they were a mess.

_But let's be real, Sumia, it was the best you were going to do on your own and it's too late to ask Gaius to rip out all the stitches and fix them for you._ And she wasn't going to throw away a month's hard work, so she had no choice.

She found him in his tent, organizing the Risen body parts he'd looted during the last battle. Trying not to gag, she stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"Um, Henry?"

"Oh?" He looked up and smiled. "Oh, heyo, Sumia! What's up?" She swallowed, trying not to look at the decaying limbs.

"I-if you're busy, I can always come back later." Partially because she hated to disturb anyone at work, partially because she didn't want to look at or smell those awful things. Luckily, Henry swept them underneath a nearby blanket and stood up.

"Nya ha, I'm never too busy for you, Sumia! Hey, what's that behind your back?"

"Er, well..." She held out the two misshapen hats. "I made us these!" He took one, studying it only for a moment before grinning and slipping it on his head.

"Cool! We're kitties now, mew!"

"Wait! The stitches are kind of messy and the fabric's rumpled, and...you don't mind? B-because I can ask Gaius for-"

"No way! They're already fine just the way they are," he said. "Cause Sumia made them, and Sumia always does her best!" She blushed, staring at the remaining hat in her hands. Deep down she'd known he'd say that and she knew it was silly to want to change anything about the hats. Henry wasn't picky about clothing, didn't care that she was clumsy and silly and less than perfect.

So for once, she swallowed her insecurity and put the hat on, trying not to think about the messy stitches or the rumped cotton or the fact that the ears weren't the same size. Henry smiled, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her cheek.

"There we go! My Sumia is the cutest kitten ever." She giggled, leaning further into his embrace.

"Well...Henry's a pretty cute kitten, too! So there!"

They wore the hats for the rest of the day, to the stares and whispers and giggles of everyone else. Nothing malicious, obviously, just curiosity. But for once, she was having too much fun to be embarrassed.


	12. Newlyweds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was no small miracle that they'd been able to marry during the midst of the chaos. Having a proper honeymoon was impossible. But they'd make the best of all the time they could get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://wasserplane.tumblr.com/post/26776101761/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge). Takes place just after their marriage, and it ended up taking a while to actually _get_ to the making out. What can I say, sometimes a story would rather have actual _plot._ :P

They were in the middle of a campaign against a strong military force, so it stood to reason they wouldn't have much alone time. Sumia hadn't even expected them to actually _be_ married at this point, they couldn't afford a huge wedding or set aside much time. But Libra bad performed the ceremony in a small church without even being asked, much to her appreciation. It was a small ceremony with just their friends, they could always have a bigger one when the business with Valm was over. The wedding had taken place just two weeks ago, and Sumia still remembered every detail.

_"Fascinating. So Nowi and I remain the final two women of this army yet to partake in the bonds of holy matrimony," Miriel said with a tiny smile after the ceremony had concluded. Beside her, Ricken blushed; he'd proposed to her the day after his sixteenth birthday, agreeing that they'd wait until he came of age to actually marry._

_"When it's our turn, we'll have the best wedding ever," Ricken promised. "By then, my family's fortune will be restored!"_

_"Nya ha, silly Ricken! Miriel doesn't care about that," Henry laughed. "Just love her and be her guinea pig for experiments!"_

_"I have no intention of using my betrothed as a guinea pig," Miriel said with a roll of her eyes._

_"Well, we know why _you_ two haven't married yet," Henry teased. "But that doesn't explain Donny and Nowi!"_

_"Eh, we're just gonna wait it out a bit," Donny said. "I'd like at least fer my ma to meet her properly 'fore we get hitched! 'sides, I promised when I was a kid I'd never get married without 'er!"_

_"Which is all the more reason to finish this quick!" Nowi piped up. "Then we can go home!" Sumia smiled, leaning against her new husband._

_"I wouldn't have minded waiting either," she said. "But I'm glad we didn't."_

_" _Really_ glad." Henry whispered in her ear, his hand caressing her side, and she felt her heart speed up in her chest. There was no time to spare for a proper honeymoon, obviously, but the sun was setting and the further up Henry's hand moved the more she wanted to cut straight to the wedding night._

_So they bid a polite goodnight to their friends and rushed back to their tent to "celebrate". It was a night full of unbridled passion they'd never forget anytime soon._

But that night full of unbridled passion had been the only one. Afterwards it was business as usual, fighting Risen and Valmese soldiers from dawn till dusk. All they had time for were quick good-night kisses, maybe a good-morning kiss and holding hands on the way back to the barracks.

So when they _did_ manage to snag some precious moments alone, of course they were all over each other. He'd pull her into their tent or the forest or a corner of a fortress and they would kiss and caress each other senseless. His lips were so warm against hers, his hands undoing her armor and her bodice to sneak a few quick touches to her breasts. Her hands would slip under his tunic, feeling his scarred and cool skin under her palms, hearing him murmur against her lips as she warmed him up.

Their little "sessions" didn't last very long, of course. Sooner or later they would part and straighten their clothes and rejoin the others, who obviously knew where they'd gone off to. Sumia blushed at the many eyes on her, but quickly learned not to care.

One night, though, Robin announced that they were taking a day off so she, Chrom and Say'ri could spend time discussing their next plan of action now that the Dynasts had betrayed them. Most of the army was glad just to have a day off from fighting, but Sumia knew just what she and Henry would spend _their_ time doing.

"Want to recreate our wedding night?" Henry suggested with a grin, and she pulled him down for a long, deep kiss.


	13. Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Shepherds take their kids to the beach. Luckily, there are no monsters this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://wasserplane.tumblr.com/post/26776101761/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge). And yes, the Outrealms totally has ice cream.

They were coming back to the Outrealms with almost twice the number of people. After Lucina made her appearance the rest of the children had been found in short order. Henry rembered every reunion clear as a bell; Inigo trying to charm a smile out of Lon'qu, Kjelle shaking hands with her sister and hugging her parents, Owain and Brady grabbing Vaike into a three-person hug while Lissa and Maribelle sighed with relief, Noire hiding behind Gregor as she tried to talk to Tharja, Gerome refusing to meet Frederick's eyes.

And of course, Cynthia throwing herself into his and Sumia's arms. A bundle of energy with his white hair and fearlessness, Sumia's cute face and fighting skills. She'd nearly buried him in flower petals the next battle, and Flori the pegasus had run circles around her present self.

This time the beach held no bandits, which was a bit disappointing, but Cynthia had insisted they could still have a good time. So he and Sumia sat on a blood-red beach blanket while their daughter ran off to get them some treats.

"See how much nicer the beach is without bandits running around?" Sumia asked. She wore a lavender version of Cordelia's light blue swimsuit and was trying to build a sand castle. "Everyone's relaxing or having fun. We can just _enjoy_ what a beautiful day it always is here!"

"Eh, I guess," Henry sighed. "Still wouldn't mind killing some things, though! Maybe I can build Risen dummies out of sand and make _them_ go _splooosh_! Oh, and we can dig for sand crabs and ask them what it's like underground!"

"Let's wait until Cynthia gets back with our treats," Symia said, smoothing the blanket out underneath them. "We have all day to do everything, but I'm hungry!"

"Nya ha, whatever my Sumia and Cynthia want," Henry laughed. "And I wouldn't mind something to eat either!"

"I just hope Cynthia doesn't trip and drop everything. She didn't inherit your coordination," Sumia sighed. "Maybe you'd better go check up on her."

"Aww, silly Sumia! If she can handle fighting monsters all the time surely she can handle carrying a few dishes of ice cream!" But just the same, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Cynthia tiptoeing carefully through the sand, balacing a tray on her palms and setting it down gently. "See?"

"Oh, it looks delicious!" Sumia picked up one of the three dishes. There was something soft, pink and gleamy-looking swirled into each dish.

"Doesn't it? Like snow dyed with-"

" _Father!_ " Cynthia gave him a look. "I know what you're gonna say and it's not blood! It's strawberry! Well, that's what the lady at the stand said, she said it was iced cream with strawberries blended into it! It's like that custard Mother used to tell me about!" They dug in, Henry tasting little bits of strawberry in the creamy texture. It was different from when Sumia had fed him a bite of her crepe at the sweet shop in Valm...for one thing, the berries were cold this time. And a bit less sweet...a little more tart. _Just like my Sumia herself,_ he thought with a smirk.

"Isn't it good?" Cynthia prompted. "Morgan said his dad told him it was the best part of going to the beach last time!"

"I _wondered_ where Gaius disappeared to just before we all left," Sumia laughed, taking another bite of her snack. "I'll have to thank Morgan for telling you about this, Cynthia!"

"I guess this is just as good as killing bandits," Henry said, leaning forward to lick a drip of melting pink stuff from Sumia's chin. "And _much_ tastier!" His wife blushed, gesturing towards the crowds.

"Henry, we're in public! And Cynthia's right _here..._ " He smiled sheepishly, but Cynthia remained oblivious, totally focused on her treat. Much as he didn't give a damn about people seeing him kiss his wife, he didn't want to make Cynthia uncomfortable.

"Oh, all riiiight." He kissed her cheek and put his arm around their daughter, and Cynthia snuggled between them and smiled.

"A day at the beach eating ice cream with Mother and Father...it's everything I dreamed it would be!" She almost sounded like she was about to cry, Sumia's face turned sympathetic and Henry remembered what Cynthia had told them about the future she came from. Sumia had cried, Henry had hugged her and promised that _this_ version of him wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. _Sure, I want a horrible bloody death with no ouchies but I won't abandon my kid!_

Down the beach he overheard shouts and splashing and laughter; Lucina and Kjelle playing in the waves, Morgan building a sand castle with Nah and her parents, Severa actually smiling as she and Cordelia sorted through all the seashells they'd collected, Ricken and Laurent on a nature hike near the dunes.

Cynthia happily eating her ice cream as she sat between him and Sumia.

_We'll kill all the baddies we can get our hands on to make sure the kids' future can be this good._


	14. Exploration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While he was curious about how it felt to ride a pegasus, she was curious about something much different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge](http://wasserplane.tumblr.com/post/26776101761/ericandys-30-day-otp-challenge). Come on, you knew this was coming.

She didn't dare tell him, but she hadn't just agreed to switch bodies again for _his_ sake. They'd officially agreed to it so he could ride her pegasus, but Sumia had something else in mind. Something she'd wondered about since the first time she'd been in that body.

So while Henry was enjoying himself in the sky, in her body, she and his body sat alone in his tent so as not to arouse suspicion. Nobody else knew about the swap, it wouldn't look good for "him" to be in _her_ tent. She almost felt a little guilty, not only for invading his space but for what she wanted to do with the body he was loaning her, but curiosity and the need to know won out over any moral issues she'd had.

When she was sure nobody was within hearing range, she stripped Henry's clothes off and laid down on the nearby bedroll. He didn't have a mirror, so she'd have to rely on touch and what she _could_ see. And from what she could see his body _was_ much too skinny; she knew he ate enough to stay alive but he could certainly do with more food. And so pale...her own complexion was on the light side, but he was only a shade darker than his hair!

But it was the scars that caught her attention and refused to let go. She could find maybe two patches of unmarked skin on that body, everywhere else was marked and bruised and gnarled and marbled from Gods only knew. He was reckless in battle, she knew that, but some of them looked older than a few weeks...she shuddered, trying to take her eyes off those places, and ran her hands up and down the flat chest, the narrow hips, the skinny arms.

She wondered if he could feel her touching him, if his mind somehow knew...the thought sent a shiver through her and she let her hands roam further, down his stomach and over his thighs and finally one grazed a growing hardness and she blushed. _Oh..._

And then her attention was lost to his cock. It was...well, she didn't have room to compare it to any others, obviously. She didn't know how big was too big or big enough; Henry's was nice enough, she supposed. She took it in her hand, feeling it harden more, and ran her palm across the bottom.

Her novels always described a penis as "wild, throbbing, silk over steel", but his just felt like, well... _skin._ Hard skin, a bit smoother than the rest of him...the real wonder was holding it in her hand, knowing that for a brief period of time it was attached to her. Well, not _her_ as in Sumia, but Henry's body with Sumia's consciousness in it.

She ran her fingertips over the shaft, gasping at the tiny pinpricks of pleasure it sent through her. It was somehow _different_ from the pleasure she felt when she touched her own body...she touched a nipple with her free hand, wondering if his were as sensitive as hers. Not quite, she noted, but it felt good nonetheless. She kept that hand there, hoping it would feel differently as she kept stroking "her" cock. Henry's blood didn't heat up as quickly as hers when she touched herself, which might have worried her had she not been so caught up in the wild new sensations. Well, not _completely_ new, but different.

She ran her free hand over the skinny body, the slender thighs...between them, she felt the sac beneath the penis and nearly convulsed at the feeling _that_ created. Again she stroked it, timing it with her pumping of the shaft until a hot liquid spurted forth, covering her hand and making her squeal in surprise. She had to lean back against the pillow and catch her breath before she could properly examine the results of her exploration.

"Oh..." She blushed, finally looking down at her hand. White and sticky, not like the hot lava her books described it as. Part of her wanted to taste it, but maybe that would be gross.

She wiped her hand off on the handkerchief she'd made sure to take with her beforehand, then quickly dressed again. The clothing felt hot and uncomfortable after being naked for so long, and she still felt sweaty.

_I wonder if he felt it,_ she thought as she tidied up the tent and quietly slipped out. Outside, Chrom was training with Sully while Frederick built the campfire. "Sumia" was returning from her pegasus ride, Cordelia giving her a sideways glance before sighing and turning back to her conversation with Panne. But Sumia caught a glint in her own eye.

_...did he?_ It was a wild conclusion to jump to, considering he'd been more excited about the pegasus than anything. Or was that just his cover?

She didn't dare ask, but if he had, any guilt she may have felt earlier was no longer necessary.


End file.
